Undermount for height adjustable work surface mechanism

ABSTRACT

The invention is directed at a work surface mechanism for connecting a primary work surface to a secondary work surface, the work surface mechanism comprising: a track system, located underneath the primary work surface; a main body including primary work surface mounting apparatus for mounting to the track system; a pivot bar, connected to the main body; and a pair of arms, each of the pair of arms connected at one end to the pivot bar and to the secondary work surface at the other end; wherein the secondary work surface can be stored directly stored underneath the primary work surface when not in use.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to adjustable work surfaces. More particularly, the invention relates to an adjustable work surface support mechanism for mounting a secondary work surface to a primary work surface.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the field of traditional support mechanisms, there are many different types of adjustable work surface support mechanisms. However, such support mechanisms generally require a large number of individual parts, making it expensive to manufacture and difficult to assemble.

There are other support mechanisms which are used in workplace desking. These support mechanisms provide support for adjustable secondary work surfaces to be manually moved from a first position to a second position in the vertical direction with respect to a primary work surface. However, virtually all “keyboard arms” have an inherent limit of vertical adjustability to 3 to 4″ in relation to a static primary work surface.

In addition, many of these support mechanisms include parts underneath the secondary work surface which, by their construction, can cause injury when a user's legs coming into contact against it or a user's hands when they try to adjust the height of the secondary work surface.

It is, therefore, desirable to provide an adjustable work surface support which overcomes some of the problems of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, there is provided a work surface support mechanism which is connected at one end to a primary work surface and a second end to a secondary work surface. In use, the mechanism provides assistance in adjusting the height of the secondary work surface with respect to the primary work surface so that the secondary work surface is in an ergonomic position for the many users that may use the workstation. Further, when the secondary work surface is not required, the mechanism can be stored underneath the primary work surface and is out of the way of the user.

Further, the current invention can support a true “Secondary Surface” well beyond keyboard platforms, and hence has the flexibility to support many other workplace applications.

In the preferred embodiment, tubular arm components are employed which provide for “soft contact” with the users legs.

Therefore, there is provided a novel mechanism for work surfaces which combine a plurality of operational characteristics such as but not limited to (1) vertical adjustability; (2) tubular component construction for “soft contact”; or (3) retractability from the work area when not required.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the attached Figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a height adjustable work surface mechanism;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the work surface mechanism of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a right side view of the work surface mechanism of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a left side view of the work surface mechanism of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the work surface mechanism of FIG. 1; and

FIGS. 6 a and 6 b are schematic views of a work platform with a work surface mechanism mounted to the work platform.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIGS. 6 a and 6 b are schematic diagrams of a work surface mechanism attached to a work platform is shown. The work surface mechanism 10 is connected at one end to a primary work surface 100 and a secondary work surface 102. The work surface mechanism is mounted to the primary work surface 100 via a track system 104 which allows the secondary work surface 102 to slide with respect to the primary work surface 100.

The work surface mechanism 10 is typically in two positions, which can be seen as an in storage position (FIG. 6 a) and an in use position (FIG. 6 b).

Turning to FIGS. 1 to 5, various views of the height-adjustable work surface mechanism are shown. The mechanism 10 includes a main body 12 which is mounted or attached to the primary work surface 100, such as a desk. Mounting of the main body 12 to the primary work surface 100 can be achieved by mounting, or attaching, the main body 12 to a track system 104 associated with the primary work surface 100, thereby allowing the mechanism 10 to slide toward and away from the primary work surface 100.

The mechanism 10 further includes a pair of tubular arms 14 a and 14 b, each arm 14 a and 14 b connected at one end to an associated mounting bracket 16. The mounting brackets 16 are used to mount the mechanism 10 to the secondary work surface 102, such as a keyboard platform, which can then be height-adjusted, according to the particular user's physical attributes. This secondary work surface 102 is typically platform sized and suitable for the designated activity.

The other end of each arm 14 a and 14 b is connected to a bar 18, extending through the main body 12. The bar 18 acts as a pivot point so that the arms 14 a and 14 b can move in a vertical direction with respect to the main body 12, allowing the height of the secondary work surface 102 to be adjusted with respect to the primary work surface 100. As indicated above, the mechanism 10 is preferably mounted to the track system 104 (mounted under the primary work surface 100) so that the secondary work surface 102 can be stored underneath the primary work surface 100 when not in use (FIG. 6 a).

When the mechanism is the in use position (FIG. 6 b) and the user wishes to adjust the height of the secondary work surface 102, a cylinder 20 is actuated, via an actuator, which allows the arms 14 a and 14 b to freely move in the vertical direction. The pressure provided by the cylinder 20, preferably pneumatic, allows for secondary work surface 102 to be placed at a height which is desired by the user. Once that height is attained, the actuator is released and the pressure from the cylinder 20 causes the secondary work surface 102 to maintain its position. Actuation of the cylinder can be by any number of methods which will be known to those skilled in the art such as, but not limited to, a paddle or a button.

A follower arm 22 is located adjacent one of the arms 14 b to provide further support to the mechanism 10 and to maintain the parallelism between the two work surfaces 100 and 102.

The mechanism 10 further includes a tilting mechanism 24 which is activated by a knob 26. The tilting mechanism 24, or apparatus, allows the secondary work surface 102 to be tilted, with respect to the primary work surface 100 in case the user wishes to place the work surface 102 in a more ergonomic position. For example, if the secondary work surface platform is supporting a computer keyboard, the user may wish to tilt the platform towards themselves to reduce the strain on their wrists.

Due to the mechanics and properties of the work surface mechanism 10, an advantage is that the mechanism 10, in one position, allows the secondary work surface 102 to be stored completed underneath the primary work surface 100 when the secondary work surface 102 is not needed. When the secondary work surface 102 is required, the mechanism 10 allows the secondary work surface 102 to be slid out to an operational position and the height of the work surface 102 can be adjusted to suit the user's height to provide a more ergonomically comfortable work attitude.

One advantage of the invention is that this unit has a vertical range of up to 12″, which is an improvement over current “keyboard arms”.

The above-described embodiments of the invention are intended as examples only. Alterations, modifications and variations may be effected to the particular embodiments by those of skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined solely by the claims appended hereto. 

1. A work surface mechanism for connecting a primary work surface to a secondary work surface, the work surface mechanism comprising: a track system, located underneath the primary work surface; a main body including primary work surface mounting apparatus for mounting to the track system; a pivot bar, connected to the main body; and a pair of arms, each of the pair of arms connected at one end to the pivot bar and to the secondary work surface at the other end; wherein the secondary work surface can be stored directly stored underneath the primary work surface when not in use.
 2. The work surface mechanism of claim 1 wherein each of the pair of arms comprises: a secondary work surface mounting apparatus to assist in mounting the mechanism to the secondary work surface.
 3. The work surface mechanism of claim 2 wherein the secondary work surface mounting apparatus is a mounting bracket.
 4. The work surface mechanism of claim 1 wherein the pair of arms are tubular.
 5. The work surface mechanism of claim 1 further comprising: a cylinder, connected to the pair or arms, enabling the pair of arms to move in a vertical motion.
 6. The work surface mechanism of claim 5 further comprising an actuator for the cylinder.
 7. The work surface mechanism of claim 6 wherein the actuator can be selected from the group consisting of a paddle actuator and a button actuator.
 8. The work surface mechanism of claim 1 further comprising a follower arm, located adjacent one of the pair of arms.
 9. The work surface mechanism of claim 1 further comprising: a tilting apparatus, located proximate the secondary work surface mounting apparatus, so that the second work surface can be tilted with respect to the primary work surface.
 10. The work surface mechanism of claim 5 wherein the arms move in a vertical motion up to 12″ in range. 